This Genius Door Handle Could Help Stop Doctors From Spreading Dangerous Bacteria

In 2011, more than 700,000 people got an
infection while they were in a U.S. hospital, according to a
study released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. That's one out of every 25 patients. Approximately
75,000 of those patients died during their hospitalization.

That's actually an
improvement since 2002, but there's clearly far to go. One
simple and effective way to help stop these infections is better
hygiene.

But since hand sanitizer dispensers and hand-washing stations all
over hospitals are too frequently ignored, a British studio named
Agency of Design has come up with an elegant solution — a
refillable sanitizer dispenser that can be fitted to door
handles, as
shown on Wired.

Here's how they see it working:

Agency of Design

"We wanted to make the
interaction as simple as possible, trying to make it almost
subconscious," Agency of Design co-founder Rich Gilbert told
Wired.

By connecting the sanitizer to a door that someone is already
passing through, using it can become a habit, a natural step.
"You're already holding it, so you might as well use the other
hand to dispense sanitizer," Gilbert said.

The handles, designed for Altitude Medical and named PullClean, will cost $200 and
will start shipping later this year.

They'll have an additional feature to help hospital
administrators out: sensors connected to a web application, which
will report how frequently sanitizer is dispensed, compared to
how frequently the doors were opened.